PHILADELPHIA--(HealthWire)--Nov. 27, 1996-- 

-- Approximately 80% of Study Patients Experienced Clinical Recovery-- 

HEMISPHERx BIOPHARMA, INC. (NASDAQ:HEMX) today announced that  it will
significantly expand the enrollment of Chronic Fatigue  Syndrome (CFS)
patients in Ampligen(R) treatment programs in Belgium.   This expansion,
which is effective immediately, is at the request of  the Belgian
Investigator.   

Results of a Belgium clinical study, which were recently reported at the
annual scientific meeting of the American Association for  Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome (AACFS) in San Francisco, CA, evidenced that the antiviral and
immune modulatory drug Ampligen(R) produced  significant physical and
cognitive improvements among patients  suffering from CFS.  The study was
presented by Kenny DeMeirleir,  M.D., Ph.D., from the University of Brussels,
and by David Strayer,  M.D., Professor of Medicine at Allegheny University,
PA, and Medical  Director for HEMISPHERx.   

According to Professor DeMeirleir, further follow-up of these  patients after
six months of Ampligen(R) therapy shows that  "approximately 80%" of the
treated patients thereafter experienced an apparent "complete clinical
recovery." The typical patient had been  bedridden because of CFS for between
three and seven years prior to  the initiation of the six month treatment
program.   

On November 21, 1996, Hemispherx's Canadian partner, Helix  BioPharma
announced, "A recent Griffiths McBurney & Partners report  stated, "because
of the lack of an effective treatment for CFS, which affects an estimated
400,000 people in the United States alone...   the availability of
Ampligen(R) in Canada could attract CFS sufferers  from the United States and
European countries, where the drug is  currently unavailable." Helix has
already received numerous calls  from patients around the world inquiring as
to Ampligen's  availability."  

The cost of manufacturing Ampligen(R) for the treatment programs in Belgium
and Canada is relatively high due to the low volume.  The  Company believes
that even today's costs are reasonable in light of  the percentage of CFS
patients who experience clinical recoveries  after treatment and the economic
effect of these recoveries on lower  hospitalization costs and costs of
long-term disability, presently  largely borne by private and/or governmental
based insurance  carriers.  These benefits, coupled with the attendant cost
of  introducing a new drug technology, have been taken into consideration
when recommending the cost of treatment.   

The improvements observed in the two key measurements of physical performance
used for the 24-week long open-label Belgium study  confirmed and extended
earlier findings obtained from open-label and  placebo-controlled American
trials.  The two measures of physical  performance were Karnofsky Performance
Score (KPS), used to measure  activities of daily living; and exercise
performance on a bicycle.   KPS improved 43% from a severely debilitating
level of 53, to a level of 76.  A KPS score of 80 describes an individual who
can perform  normal activities with effort, but continues to have limited
signs of the illness.  On the bicycle testing, Belgium patients improved
 oxygen uptake significantly, from 1.16 liters/minute before the
 twice-weekly Ampligen(R) administration of 200 to 400 mg, to 1.48
 liters/minutes after treatment.   

In addition to physical improvement, significant cognitive  improvements were
documented among patients on the three Ampligen(R)  trials, using the
cognitive subscale of the SCL 90-R or  neuropsychological function tests.
 The Ampligen(R) treatments were  generally well tolerated.   

By contrast, spontaneous recovery of untreated patients suffering from CFIDS
is low.  Recent US studies indicate that only 2% of the  CFIDS population can
expect spontaneous improvement to normal  function and activity levels.   

HEMISPHERx is a pharmaceutical company engaged in the manufacture and global
clinical development of drug entities in the NA class for  chronic viral
diseases and disorders of the immune system.  To date,  HEMISPHERx and its
subsidiaries have received over 200 patents  internationally to protect its
proprietary position in NA and related drug technologies.   

CONTACT:  

William A. Carter, CEO,  

HEMISPHERx BioPharma, Inc.  

(215) 988-0080 

or 

Vicki Miles Weiner, VMW, Inc.  

(212) 605-3140, VMWeiner@aol.com 

KEYWORD: PENNSYLVANIA 

INDUSTRY KEYWORD: MEDICINE PHARMACEUTICAL BIOTECHNOLOGY PRODUCT 



BW1099  NOV 27,1996